Wicked Sins
by Sakura-chan88
Summary: In a world of mystery, one figure stands alone, watched by demons of the night. In a dark land, she is the one and only shrowded in light. Hear the cry of a fallen angel. IK
1. Prolouge

There are many who would say if bitten by a species of the darker plan of existence- the underworld, as many call it- a human would turn, or die, depending on their blood, or if they were "drank dry". However, I have come to find this is a mere legend. The existence of other beings- creatures of the night- is one-hundred percent true, yes, but their means of living are blown entirely out of proportion. They do not live off blood alone, and they do not thirst for it as books and movies would lead one to believe. Those that drink, and those that kill, do so only to draw attention, to mimic the false assumptions viewed by the public. To make others fear them.

Or, maybe, this is just my theory. Yet, my theory, I believe, is justified in every way.

See, I was bitten at the age of five, though nothing significant came of it. I never longed for blood, sunlight never hurt, the silver studs in my ears failed to harm me in any way, and my strength never changed- I never changed.

Many may object to my theory that not everyone turns- anyone bitten turns! After all, that's what the books say.

If that it so, then perhaps it was my spiritual powers that kept me from transforming; perhaps it was a guardian angel watching over me.

Or, perhaps it was fate- my destiny to carry a virus I'd never transfer, a virus I'd forget existed.

After all, if everyone changes when bitten yet I have not, then these are my only other explanations.

I was bitten and remained as I was, and I grew as any normal human, lived as any normal human, bled as any normal human.

Yet, my father...

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**Wicked Sins**

By Sakura-chan88

_Prolouge_

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There are times in my life where I feel as if the whole world is watching my every move, watching every step I take, listening to every word I speak- as if waiting for me to make that one wrong move, say that one deadly thing. Then, as if nothing had happened, the world would once again resume ignoring me completely. That's the way I liked it, passing through the streets unnoticed by all. I loved the feeling of being free to do and say as I pleased.

Yet, as the years passed, I noticed an uncanny similarity in the people around me. I could walk down a street, stop and turn, and guess who was walking a certain distance from me. A woman with long, dark brown hair and kind brown eyes. I could be shopping and I'd look down the aisle from the way I came, and know there would be a man with short black hair and purple eyes. I would know, somehow, that if I were to look out onto the shire grounds from the kitchen, there would be a white haired male praying to Goshinboku.

I never felt threatened by them, albiet their omniepresints was a dit disturbing. Yet, it calmed me. I came to call them my ever-watching guardian angels. Always there. Always smiling. Always waiting.

Waiting for me.

"Kagome!"

I spun on my heel, watching my friends rush past the woman with brown hair, who stood smiling patiently. I smiled back and nodded.

Yuka grabbed my arm excitedly, bouncing up and down in a hyped manner, snapping my attention back to the trio. Ayumi's eyes sparkled. Eri clapped her hands together.

"What is it?" I asked, their actions confusing me to no extent.

"You'll never guess who's looking for you!" Eri squeeled. "Hojo!"

"Hojo? Why's he looking for me?" I whispered, peering discreetly over Ayumi's shoulders to gaze at the mysterious woman who leaned against the light pole, talking in a hush-hush voice to the man with purple eyes. He smiled and waved. "Did I forget my math notes again?"

Yuka giggled, "no. Though, it seems you forget them often enough."

Ayumi smiled, finding a small amount of humor in my confusion. "He's single again, silly!"

I blinked. "So? What does that have to do with me?"

Eri sighed. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

Yuka puffed her cheeks out, blowing a stray strand way from her line of vision. "Think about it Kagome. Hojo's single, he's looking for you... While he's single..."

"Guys, I think you must have his intentions mixed up. Hojo is our friend- has been for years," I began, shaking my head lightly in exasperation, "and he has never shown any extra interest in me. Jeez... Sometimes I think you three are playing matchmaker or something."

Ayumi's smile brightened. "Of course not. We just state what we think. And-"

"We think you too look great together," they finished as one, high-fiving each other. "You're both so smart and so alike and so... Cute!"

I sent them a dead-panned look, then rolled my eyes. "Right... Listen, I've got to get home-"

"But, Hojo!" Yuka exclaimed.

"He knows where I live if it's really that important, girls," I mumbled, turning to presume my walk. Glancing over my shoulder as I stalked away, I waved and watched as my two guardian angels began their silent vigilant routine. The man bowed and entered a store, leaving the woman following in my wake. Once Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi were out of sight, I stopped and turned, beckoning the woman to my side.

"Come talk to me," I called. "You must be bored after all these years of following me."

She smiled and moved to stand beside me. "I knew you noticed us a few years ago. Why haven't you said anything until know?"

I shrugged. "You were always a comforting sight, honestly. I just never thought you'd actually talk to me."

She nodded her understanding and held out a hand. "I'm Sango."

I took her hand in mine, "I assume you already know mine."

"Of course. Now what kind of stalker would I be if I didn't know your name?"

I giggled, glad that, for a change, I had some one beside me that had a good sense of humor. The mathmaking trio I call friends are muh too serious at times and I realized that the feeling spreading through me was that of relief. Finally! Some one I could have fun talking to. Yet, maybe I was too quick in judging Sango.

"So..."

She snorted. "So...? So, what?"

"Why haven't you ever talked to me before?" I asked, watching her from the corner of my eye as I shifted the weight of my backpack to my left shoulder. The number of books and notepads required by the school was extreme, in my opinion, but who can deny that knowledge had its price, and this was only one of them?

"There are rules," she stated, putting her index finger in the air, "and the first is that we never make the first contact."

"We?"

"The, uh... organization I work for."

"Oh."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll understand soon enough- maybe too soon."

"That doesn't sound comforting," I whispered, wondering what she ment. What was she hiding?

"It wasn't meant to be."

We continued on in silence together, I lost in my thoughts of the mysterious person beside me. Then it hit me. "That man you were talking to- who is he?"

"Miroku- my husband, you could say," she smirked. "We never were married by natural standards, but..."

"I see... And... The other man- the one who watches over my family."

Sango quirked a brow. "Inuyasha?"

"I suppose."

She laughed lightly. "He's an arrogant man I've had the displeasure of meeting up with from time to time, and he's not exactly on our side. He's more of an enemy than an ally, but don't worry about him. His bark is really worse than his bite..." She hesitated. "Uh... Okay, so I take that back."

I laughed at her lopsided grin. "Violent, is he?"

"He can be. I've seen him fight before and I'm glad I wasn't the one he was mutilating." She shivered at the memory. "But, like I said, don't worry about hin. He's protecting you, also. Just from a different side of things."

"Protecting me?" I echoed, giving the woman a baffled glance. "Protecting me from what?"

Sango stopped walking suddenly, staring up the shrine steps- the beginning of my residence and the end of our conversation. "This is where our time ends."

I watched the woman walk briskly away, wondering if she was avoiding answering my question on purpose, or the thought of a run in with the man named Inuyasha had made her scurry away.

Inuyasha.

If these three were enemies, then why were both protecting me, and what exactly were they protecting me from? These thoughts plagued my mind late into the night, more so with every look I cast out of my window overlooking the wooded area behind my house, knowing Inuyasha was lurking somewhere in the shadows.

Maybe, just maybe, one day I would venture to chat with the shady figure. Maybe one day I'd finally understand what Sango meant.

Maybe that one day came too soon...

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha...

_A/N: No, this is not going to be one of those ridiculously plotless stories about werewolves and vampires... Don't worry, I've got my own little twists and turns for this, and I'm sure a few may shock you, and many others you may see coming. I hope this story is worth your time, and a possible review in the future. Please, tell me what you think, and feel free to throw in a few suggestions for the story that is fated to be another rather short fanfiction._

_Arigatou minna,_

_Sakura-chan88_


	2. Change of the Winds

It struck home- and it hit hard. Not only did it shock everyone into a mute trance of temporary paralysis- it completely rattled the foundation we had built ourselves up from, demolishing our hearts and our happiness with one swift blow.

I had never thought such a thing existed, even after all my experiences with similar happenings. I never thought it would stumble into my life... again. And it taunted and pulled at my mind that sang 'it isn't real! This isn't real!'

More thoughts flooded me, more questions thrumbed through me- quiries about my life, my past, my future, my fate.

Most of all, however, I thought of my guardian angels- those three individuals always just a step or two behind me.

'_When did they start protecting me?' _I wondered._ 'Why do they protect me? Protect me from what...?_

'_Why am I so important?'_

And, most puzzling and urgent, if they were protecting me...

Why couldn't they have saved her...?

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**Wicked Sins**

By Sakura-chan88

_Change of the Winds_

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I was still mulling over Sango's words, sitting at my desk as I attempted the impossible... Remembering what our mathematics homework was over. It wasn't that I had meant to forget... It just... conveniently slipped my mind.

Sighing, I stretched, taking a quick glance at my alarm clock. Nine o'clock on the dot...

"Why is time going so slow...?" I muttered, spinning boredly in my chair. The seat gave a small squeel as I swiveled left, then right, then left once more. There was absolutely nothing to do, nothing to catch my attention and hold it. Nothing to satisfy my hunger for fun! "So... bored!"

With not a single measly thing better to do, I opened my window and climbed over the sill, plopping down to dangle my feet above the ground and enjoy the gentle breeze gracing the cooling air. The branches of the many trees a few feet before me creaked as they swayed. Everything seemed so peaceful, so uninhabited and calm.

Too calm.

I found myself once again searching for the elusive shadow that now had a name to fit it. What kind of person was he? Was everything Sango said true about him? The mystery surrounding him was intriguing, and it called to my mind. Maybe there was a way to cure my boredom, after all...

"A dog demon roaming around my woods, waiting in the dark for his name to be called," I giggled, narrating the world around me, giddy at the thought of speaking to another 'stalker' of mine. "He hides in the shadows beyond the trees that groan and refuse to bow to the demanding winds!" My words were carried away on the said winds. "I summon him, the one called Inuyasha. Step forth, oh guardian angel of mine. I call."

My giggle turned to a hearty laugh as the breeze picked up a notch, sending my hair around me to rest lightly upon my shoulders. "I call you now, silent one. Speak to me."

"I'm far from an angel," said the shadow in the branches of the nearest tree. His voice was gruff and rusty, as if it had not been used for the longest of times. "As you said yourself, I'm a demon. Don't get those two confused. After all, I'd call them opposites."

I smiled brightly at his reply. "I'll remember that."

All was silent for a breaths' time. In that silence, I felt the wind whisper in my ear a pleasant farewell as it changed its course.

"Come closer and let me see you."

"You've seen me before," he growled. "Plus, I'm comfortable where I am."

I frowned slightly at his words, then pouted. He was so different from Sango. "But, I don't enjoy talking to a tree. And I have yet to see your face. It's always in the darkness."

"Deal with it."

'_How rude...'_ I thought, moving to a crouched position and bracing myself to keep from falling. "Fine, then. If you won't move, I'll just compromise!"

The wind seemed to lift me up as I took to the air, my arms stretched to allow my hands the reach they needed to grab the branch ahead of me. Firmly holding the limb, I hoisted my body upwards and began my slow, steady climb to the branch over head.

"Keh! Stupid human."

"..." I hadn't expected that kind of greeting as I stared into golden eyes, reflecting the light of the moon. I blinked. Once... Twice. "Was that supposed to hurt?"

"They say the truth hurts," Inuyasha grumbled, lean back against the trunk.

He had a rough, yet boyish face that seemed to fit his voice perfectly, and silky-textured silver hair that hung limply around his body. He had broad shoulders and a wide chest. His clothing was ancient, only viewed in few museums- a dark reddish uniform worn many centuries ago.

All together, his features gave the impression of one of the Lost Boys come back from Neverland. My mind itched to ask where Peter Pan was...

"Obviously you don't know your prey very well," I replied, finding a comfortable place to rest.

"Why would I want to know anything about such a airheaded pain-in-the-ass?"

Again, I blinked, not expecting the man to be so... disrespectful! So inconsiderate and... vulgar! Yet, what could I have thought of a man Sango called violent? Hadn't she said he mutilated someone? An arrogant man she'd had the displeasure of meeting from time to time?

"Well..." Was all I could say, finding it hard to speak to such a person.

"Why don't you just go to bed like a good little girl and wait til..." He trailed off, looking to the side as if he had said too much. Perhaps he had.

"Wait til what?"

Again, silence reigned, and the wind changed directions once more.

"Keh! Just... Just go to bed! You'll find out soon enough-"

I snapped- That was _it_! I had enough of the secrecy- I was determined to get the answers to all my questions, and this helped to break the ice of patience surrounding me in the dead of night. "I'm tired of hearing that! 'You'll find out soon enough!' I want to know what's going on- and I want to know **now**!"

I can't say I didn't ask for it. On the contrary, I had just begged for it...

A loud crash was heard from inside the shrine house- my home. Nothing followed. It was so sudden, and ended so quickly, I thought for the briefest moment that I had imagined it. Imagined everything... Even the fleeing shadows I saw for the slightest second leaving the shrine ground minutes later.

"Wha...?"

"Stay here."

My gaze flickered back to the golden orbs filled with an emotion I couldn't place and, as I tried to, he closed his eyes, brought a sleeve to his nose, and sat hunched over. "Didn't you just say-" That's when I noticed the small ears atop his skull- furry, triangular ears that had just flickered at the sound of my voice...

Ears only associated with...

With a half-breed.

A half-werewolf.

"... Inuyasha..." I whispered, reaching a hand out to reassure myself they were, in fact, real and not a figment of a mind running wild. After all, I had been seeing shadows, and I had heard a noise that sounded like... Like shattering glass.

His head snapped up the instant my fingertips grazed the appendages. "Don't!"

"You're..." My eyes narrowed in thought... "Inuyasha... What just happened? What was that sound..? Who... Who were those people running away?"

He snorted, slapping away my still hovering hand. "They are what I've been put here to protect you from. And that sound was why. You wanted to know what was going on, right? You just couldn't wait..." His glare softened and turned to his lap. "You just couldn't wait..."

"... What just happened?" I repeated, leaning closer, whispering my words. "I know you heard things I didn't. I know you can smell things I can't. I know you can see perfectly in the darkness... I know what you are."

"Keh! I didn't think you were _that_ stupid, idiot."

I paused, ignoring the insult. "Are you avoiding answering me again?"

"If you want answers, look in the kitchen."

"Eh...?" I frowned, then shook my head. "Will that answer who was here?"

"... You're still not ready to know that."

"Right..." I sighed and stood, balancing myself with arms spread out to my sides. "Now, this is the hard part," I muttered, glancing down to the hard-packed earth many feet beneath us.

"No... The hard part hasn't even begun." The whispered words floated to me on the passing breeze for, when I looked over to question him, Inuyasha was no where in sight and there was no trace of anyone ever being there.

"Gee... Thanks for offering a helping hand."

It took a while for me to reach the bottom, but, when I did, I had no chance to see the kitchen.

Sango was standing in front of me, her eyes down cast. Her presence, for the first time, startled me. Emotions flew through me I had never felt before.

I felt panic.

Something was so very wrong.

Something was so very, very wrong if she was here, in the territory assigned to her enemy, risking her own life (as I concluded from her earlier descriptions of Inuyasha) to be near me... If I needed more than one of my guardian angels around me.

"Sango, tell me!" I plead, grabbing the woman by the shoulders. "Please, I beg you. I want to know what's going on! Why is it being kept a secret from me? I'm obviously part of this- whatever it is- so, please..."

Hands covered my own, drawing them to my sides. I looked over my shoulder to see Miroku, his eyes pained. What caused the pain, I cannot tell- not even to this day. Perhaps it was seeing the plea in my eyes, or knowing what awaited me. Or maybe it was because he simply could not tell me.

"I'm sorry, miss," he breathed, licking his lips as he looked to his wife for help. "We can't."

"Then why are you here!" I shouted, stamping my footprint into the ground.

"For support," Sango whispered into my ear. "We know what's happened, and we know what you'll go through... Inuyasha, Miroku, and I... We've been through something... only too similar..."

"What's wrong?" I asked, gazing up into the tree, seeking out the golden gleam of his eyes, only to be sorely dissappointed. "... What's going on...?"

"Come," Miroku sighed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as Sango silently slipped hers around my waist. I obeyed, allowing them to steer me around the house and to my front door. "We'll wait here for you."

"Are you taking me somewhere?"

Sango smiled sadly. "No, not yet. But, we'll still wait here for you... So, when you need us... you know where to find us, Kagome."

My head snapped up, startled by hearing my own name tumble past her lips. "Sango..."

"Go," she ordered, nodding toward the door.

I bowed my head as I complied, entering the home I grew up in to find I'd never be able to think of it the same way ever again.

There, in the kitchen, lay my mother, sprawled over the counter with opened eyes still crystal clear.

There, in the kitchen, lay my mother, naked, broken, bloody, and bruised, her mouth parted in an eternal gasp of surprise and pain.

There, in the kitchen, lay my mother, her arms raked with claw marks, legs cut by the glass littering the floor, heart pierced through by a silver stake.

And, in all its crimson glory on the entirety of her back, in the middle of all the atrocious scenery, scrawled in a feathery penmenship one would call feminine, the name of the killer was carved.

_Kagome_

Yes, I was her killer in a every possible indirect way.

What ever had fell my mother, what ever had abused her so thoroughly, had clearly told me I was her death...

It was searching for me.

Every instinct in me told me to scream my pain, to run over to the body of my mother and hold her close, to flee the scene and hide away forever- curl up and die beneath the biggest rock. They told me so many things, but I refused to listen.

I couldn't move, I couldn't scream, I couldn't breath.

Yet, I felt the tears slide down my cheeks.

And the horrid word stared back at me.

_Kagome_

_Kagome_

_Kagome_

I couldn't close my eyes. I knew that it would give me a temporary sense of dreaming this all, yet the word called me, held me to the spot, unable to do more than look... Look upon the name of my mother's killer, carved in her back, written in her blood.

_Kagome_

'_Souta...'_ I finally thought, shaking my head and breathing in slowly. How could I tell Souta? How could I tell grandpa? I couldn't let them see! I couldn't let them know... that I was the cause...

"... S... Sango," I called, gripping the doorframe beside me. "Sango, I..."

"Kagome, I'm so sorry," she whispered, encasing me in her arms. "Forgive me, but I couldn't... We couldn't interfere! I swear, if we could have..."

I cried then, my legs folding out from under me. I no longer had the strength to stand.

How could this happen? Who could be so cold and heartless? How could fate be so cruel?

Yes, fate. You'll understand soon enough.

How ironic that I write these words I hated so much.

You'll understand soon enough.

"Sango," I whisper, wiping the tears from my face, gathering my wits. How long had I cried? When did Miroku approach us and engolf us in a comforting embrace? I don't know. I lost track of time and life itself.

When did Inuyasha enter the kitchen and remove my mother's still form, wrap her in a blanket, and set her down beside us?

"Miroku, Inuyasha... Why...?"

All three turned their faces in guilt of letting this sin be committed.

"I know you say I'm not ready... When will I be ready? How long do I have to wait?" I sobbed, leaving the supporting hug. "How long...?"

Sango smiled, her eyes shining with tears. "Now... You can know now..."

My brows furrowed in disbelief. "I had to wait til she died...?" I turned to Inuyasha, my heart filling with anger, and screached shrilly, "That's what I had to wait for?"

"No," Miroku amended, squeezing my shoulder tightly. "You had to wait for the war to stumble into your life. And we cannot interfere in the war- we are only messengers, only guardians."

"Why couldn't you protect her?" I screamed, pushing the man away with all the force I could muster. "If you can protect me, why couldn't you save her?"

"Because she was just a bystander."

The words were cold, cruel, and utterly chilling.

"That was heartless, Inuyasha," chided Sango, standing defensively between me and him, shielding his expression from me.

"That's the truth of it," he growled. "She was a bystander- her life meant nothing."

"Just as your own mother's didn't?" Sango hissed.

He slapped her, quick as lightening, and she stumbled to the side. "Don't you ever, _ever_, speak of my mother again..."

"However, Sango is correct," Miroku interjected, steadying his wife. "Your mother's life, her brother's life, and my father's life as well... They all meant nothing. They were all just in the way, just innocent persons in the wrong place at the wrong time who got caught in the middle of a war none of them knew existed."

I, still in shock of hearing Inuyasha's words, sat dumbfoundedly in place, staring at my hands. Then, I risked interrupting the conversation. "This war... What do I have to do with it? Why are they looking for me?"

"Kagome, it'll be very... confusing... Very hard to explain..." Sango whispered, holding her reddened cheek gingerly. "Perhaps you should wait-"

"No. Explain it now," I demanded, slamming my fist to the ground. "What war are you talking about?"

"A war that has existed for nearly 2000 years. A war that started at the death of the last pure human."

Miroku sighed, "A war of demons, of vampires and werewolves and such."

"And you and Sango are vampires, I assume."

"Only half," Sango corrected, scoffing at the indigantion. "Being such, we are not allowed to take part in the battle for domanince because we have something a true-blooded demon does not."

"Free will," Inuyasha answered my unasked question at the look on my face. "Our demon blood doesn't rule us- we can choose to obey our master, or choose to turn our backs... And most of us would decide on the latter."

"But, you still follow those stupid rules!" I yelled in outrage. My mother could still be alive right now...

"We would have been killed on the spot," Miroku voiced, stopping my forming shout with a raise of his hands. "Not that our life matters much, but it would have left you open for them."

I sniffled, my eyes moistening at the returning image of my name upon her back and the question firmly placed in my mind. "... Why am I so important?"

He smiled peacefully, bringing my hands into his own. "You are the one who can tip the scale."

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_A/N: Alrighty, this chapter is completed, finally. I hope you didn't get too bored with the repition in certain parts- the repition I couldn't help writting- the repition I liked too much to change. XD_

_Anyway, this is the beginning, yes, and I jumped right into the story. I didn't feel there was any need for pointless fillers before getting right into the action! Hope it doesn't bother you that I moved along so quickly... I was hoping this would help keep your attention..._

_Did it? looks pleadingly at readers Did it?_

_Please, review and give me some insight as to what you think of this story so far!_


	3. Promise of a Pure Soul

It was all too much for me to take. In such a short space of time, my entire world had been flipped upside down. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore, and time didn't waste a second on me. It just kept moving, throwing everything at me as if to say I was worthless, that my time was up. But, my time wasn't up, it was my mother's that was...

The day I spoke to Sango, the night I spoke to Inuyasha, was the last night I would ever hear my mother's voice. It was the last time I would see her smile...

Kagome...

I hated my name at that moment. All I could see was the blood spelling out my name. My mother's blood staining her back and my memory forevermore...

'You'll know soon enough,' they had said. Yet, I had begged to know right then. And her death was the key to getting all of my questions answered. What a horrid prices to pay for sheer curiousity.

Now they answer me.

A war. A war of what?

Of vampires and werewolves.

What was I to be so important?

I'd tip the scale.

How? How could I make a difference?

I was a nobody!

A nobody...

Kagome, called my name, etched in her back, in her blood.

I was nobody but a killer.

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Wicked Sins

By Sakura-chan88

Promise of a Pure Soul

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"Tip the scale?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You remember when you and your dad were bitten?" Sango asked gently, seeming to know it was a touchy issue. I apprecaited her sensitivity. My mind was fragile and I feared the sudden vertigo setting in was a sign that I was swooning on the edge of sanity and the ominous abyss of madness.

My head was swimming with flashbacks. I saw it so clearly, the night of the attack. I understood everything that was happening- what was attacking us, what was happening to my father...

But I didn't know why I was unaffected and, though the question plagued my mind, I pushed myself to answer the woman, willing the images away.

"Yes. He died that night," I mumbled, looking back to where my mother's body had been. Both of my parents were gone from my life...

The trio looked at each other briefly before Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Not exactly... He turned."

I blinked, then looked to the floor. "Of course... I forgot."

_'How stupid of me,'_ I thought, mentally berating myself. I had always known... But, to me, the man I once called father was, in fact, dead. After all, a creature of the night such as he was could not be part of the waking world.

"You knew?" Miroku gawked. "How?"

"I... I just do, somehow. I feel it, I guess you could say," I mumbled, unable to explain any better.

Sango nodded. "Well, he's the leader of the Vampire's Northern Clan. Miroku and I... We're his servants."

I moved to sit on the stairs, knowing the conversation was only going to get more shocking. "Leader of the Northern Clan..?"

"Yeah."

"And that's why you are watching over me- because of him?"

"Yes, Kagome."

"And you?" I asked, looking to the half-werewolf with questioning eyes.

"I work under my half-brother, Sesshomaru of the Werewolves' Western Clan," Inuyasha spat.

His voice was laced with hatred. I wondered why, but at the moment it was irrelevent. Instead, I opted for the more important question on my mind. "Why does he want to protect me?"

"We can't exactly let the vampires get their hands on you, now can we?" he snarled.

I sighed. "Why? I don't understand why I'm so vital."

Miroku stepped foreward to explain. "You have a special type of soul, Kagome. The purest."

"Your soul cannot be corrupted- but it can be used," Sango mumbled. "It's the key to unlocking a barrier that has been shielding a very... powerful artifact- the Shikon Jewel. If either side gets their hands on it, it will be the end to their curse."

"Well, that doesn't sound bad," I piped, confused. "If they lift the curse-"

"It will kill the other side- completely wipe them out."

My eyes widened as I looked up at Inuyasha. His jaw was taunt, almost as if he were grinding his teeth. The small, triangular ears atop his head flickered in irritation. He clearly did not like the subject of the conversation.

"What?" I whispered, my breath taken by the look in his eyes.

"The Shikon only grants one wish," Miroku answered when the silver-haired man remained silent, "and it balances everything. Without the werewolves, the vampires have no enemies, and viceversa. The Shikon won't let that happen. It will grant the wish at the expence of the enemies' lives."

"Then why don't they work together to ask for both curses to be lift?"

Inuyasha laughed darkly at that. "Vampires and werewolves working together? Eternal enemies throwing aside their differences for the sake of their enemies' lives? Do you see how rediculous you sound?"

I glared at the man, not liking his insults. "I'm sorry I only recently learned of any of this. Granted, I knew about vampires and werewolves, but I didn't know until know that they were so utterly hateful towards each other."

"Kagome, just ignore him," Sango hissed. "You need to worry about yourself now. Things are going to get harder from here on out. You can be sure that both sides are going to soon be scrambling for you."

I sighed, knowing her words to be true. "Why didn't they try capturing me years ago?"

Miroku smiled softly. "Your 18th birthday is coming up soon, is it not?"

"Yes," I mumbled, lifting an eyebrow. "So?"

"When you become 18, your soul will hit it's strongest point and you'll be able to break the barrier... Plus, you'll turn," Miroku answered. "If the werewolves get ahold of you, they'll attempt to change you from what you're going to become."

"What good would that do? Vampire blood runs through me, already."

"Any bite is more potent if it is closer to a time when you are changing," Sango stated, sitting down beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "If a werewolf were to bite you, you'd become more werewolf than vampire- but you'd still have both running through your veins."

"Wouldn't that kill me?" I quiried. "They are opposing blood types, after all."

"Not with your soul, it won't- and, before you ask, you would not be corrupted by either one. You would have all strengths, no weaknesses- no bloodthrist, no allergic reaction to the sun, no unpredicted changes," Miroku listed. "Half-breeds, such as the three of us, are much the same."

"Except our bloodthirst is strong and our strength is dull," Inuyasha grumbled, his tongue tracing his fangs, his ears drooping slightly.

I watched him curiously. Something was hidden in his actions, I could tell. What it was, I would never know. "... Why do they think I'll help them, anyway?" I finally asked, turning my attention to the others.

"You really can't help it once they have you. As soon as you are near that barrier, it will break and the jewel will be in their possession."

"And what if I refuse to let them near the jewel?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Are you saying you'd fight an entire clan?"

"If that's what it takes," I vowed. "I won't let a wish be granted that would kill any of you."

The three stared at me as if I had grown a second head and sprouted wings.

"You'd risk your life for us?"

"Of course- you've risked your own, haven't you?"

"Well, yes," Miroku breathed, blinking. "Still..."

"Then, I owe you all," I replied, taking a deep breath as I stood. "I don't know what I'll do, but I promise I will not let myself be used if it means one of you will die."

Sango pulled me into a suffucatingly strong embrace, her body shaking lightly. "Thank you, Kagome," she whispered. "I promise I'll help however I can."

"Then find somewhere for my brother and grandfather to go- somewhere safe."

"Of course," she sniffled. "Right away."

"I'll give your mother a proper burial, if you wish," Miroku offered. "I used to be a priest, after all."  
I nodded. The thought of my mother brought tears to my eyes, my vision clouded once again.

And all I could see...

Was my name...

0-00-000-0000-000-00-0

I knew it was coming, I could feel it in the air with every breath I took. I had explained as best I could of what was going on to my grandfather, asking him to care for my brother, Souta. I knew grandpa would know, better than I, how to deal with him.

Sango had taken them to a safe house with a woman called Kaede- a priestess Sango had known her entire life- and Miroku had buried my mother beside Goshinboku, marking the sight with a black cross to symbolize her untimely death. Inuyasha remained at my side the entire time, a silent statue of support.

I did not know what to do, my mind still searching for an answer. How was I to save my own guardian angels?

I had no choice in breaking the barrier- I knew I had to do it. I also knew that I needed to be the one who ended up with the Shikon. If I could make the wish, I could wish for both curses lifted...

"No," Inuyasha sighed after I spoke. "It isn't a wish that you speak, but one in your heart. No matter what you may think, your body makes the wish- and you carry vampiric blood..."

"So, it would still..." I sighed in defeat. "If I feel the wish in my soul, though..."

"Do you really know what you want?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, yeah-"

"Isn't it a human saying, 'no one ever really knows what their heart desires'?"

I huffed, plopping down on the shrine steps. "Something like that, yeah..."

"I don't know why you don't just help whatever side captures you," he grumbled. "I doubt you'll even get to the Shikon before they get their hands on it, anyway."

"I promised and I don't go back on my promises."

"Keh."

I sighed again. Nothing was coming to mind. How was I supposed to rid them of their curses if what Inuyasha said was true? My soul may be the purest, but it didn't mean my heart was selfless... I understood that.

"Inuyasha?"

"What?" he snapped, annoyance showing clearly on his face as he watched Miroku pray over my mother's grave, ears twitching.

"Do you believe in heaven and hell?"

"We live in hell."

I glared. I couldn't stand pessimism- it brought everyone down with it. "Only because you make it so unbareable."

"Spending countless decades with a curse is hell," he spat. "I live with something that completely cuts me off of the rest of the world. I can't have a fucking pleasent day- when I'm not here watching over your clumbsy ass, I'm fighting with my brother. When I'm not fighting with my brother, I'm watching over you. What part of that sounds like its fun?"

My eyes softened along with my voice. "I'm sure at one point, things were better for you- and they will be again, someday."

"Doubtful."

"What did you do before you had to guard me?" I implored, determined to get my point across.

"... I had a life before you."

I lifted an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain further. "... In which you...?"

"I spent my time trying to figure out exactly what you're trying to."

I blinked. He tried finding a cure? For both sides? "... If werewolves hate vampires, why were you trying to save them?"

"None of you business, you nosy little bitch!" he bellowed. Glaring harshly for a moment, the man seemed to give in to his inner battle and bound away, quickly disappearing into the woods behind my home.

I stared after him, surprised at the sudden outburst. What did I say to get such a violent reaction?

Was it that much of a touchy subject?

... Had I brought up unwanted memories...?

The wind blew, drawing my attention back to the gaint sakura tree standing proudly on the shrine grounds. Goshinboku's branches swayed with the movement. It almost seemed like it was waving goodbye to someone.

Perhaps my mother's parted soul.

"Kagome!" Miroku shouted. My eyes snapped down to find the man bolting toward me in a flash. He looked fantic, eyes wide in terror.

Or, maybe, just maybe, it was waving goodbye to me.

After all, it was the last time I saw Goshinboku.

My world had gone black.

0-00-000-0000-000-00-0

A/N: ... I guess this story will be shorter than I thought, but possibly not. I know a few things I want to do- possibly even need to do- with this story that will take some time, but I fear this will be a rather short story compared to what I had intended. I just couldn't seem to write fillers for this, I want to get right into the action. I want to write the end already, but... Oh well...

And...

_**Sorry** for the late update, everyone! I sincerely apologize to you all. I did not think it would be such a long break, but it could not be helped. Please, forgive me!_

Hopeful the next chapter will be out sooner.

Cross your fingers!

Love,  
Sakura-chan88


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